Nothing But Net
by MidoriEnvy
Summary: AU Tenten enters a new school on a scholarship with hopes and dreams her previous life couldn't offer. Eventual romance with lots of drama.
1. Chapter 1

It was like she was fish out of water. Walking past new faces in a foreign place that could only impress such a lost girl like herself. Konoha's prestigious Kyuubi Private High School only accepted those who were rich and talented. With the way she was dressed, it was obvious that she wasn't the former, but to be lucky enough to be accepted for the latter was an accomplishment in itself. She stared up with her dark brown eyes at the tall building structure, admiring the small statues that adorned the corners of the school.

"A new start, don't screw this up Tenten."

She knew she was whispering those words to herself over and over. Who could blame her? Many rich families had been rumored to donate absorbent amounts of money just so their children would get noticed. How could she, a girl with worn hand me down jeans and an oversized shirt, get chosen over those who spent years throwing themselves at the school? Her hands started shaking at the front door. Was she really cut out for this?

_Only one way to find out._

The hallways literally sparkled of soft white marble. _Yep, this place definitely lives up to its reputation. _Following the signs, Tenten slowly approached the main office where she was finally going to meet the woman who she was told mentioned her name. Asking the receptionist where Principal Katsuki's office was, she was then led by a tall pineapple headed boy about her age to the door of the person who made it all happen.

"So you're finally here?"

Tenten nodded. "Yes, my name is Tenten, I'm the girl who got that scholarship."

"Hmm, yes, just make yourself worth the opportunity. We here at Kyuubi Private expect nothing but the best out of our students."

"I won't mess this up!" Tenten stood up straight as an arrow, almost literally losing breath because of how nervous she was.

"Alright then, Shikamaru, get Tenten a uniform and take her to her first class."

_How troublesome _thought the beady-eyed boy.

"Ah, thank you Principal Katsuki. I heard you were the one who mentioned my name for the scholarship and I'm very grateful."

A smile formed on the older woman's lips.

"Please, call me Tsunade."

She came out in a crisp gray knee length skirt matched with a white blouse and gray jacket. Truly a far cry from what she had worn previously, but her extremely dusty shoes were literally torn. The boy named Shikamaru scanned her up and down as he noted Tenten shifting uncomfortably.

"Ehh, you shouldn't be so nervous. This place isn't all that's cracked up to be. Most of these people are too troublesome to deal with anyways," he said with a tone of annoyance.

"Maybe, but it just feels so odd. It's just all so new."

Shikamaru sighed. "What area are you from originally?"

"I was from the Sound District, you know? That place with all the gangs."

His eyes popped open in shock as Shikamaru felt some sadness for the girl. The Sound District was notorious for their high murder, drug and rape percentages. It was a wonder that a girl as sweet looking as Tenten managed to survive there. Then again, there was another person in the school from the Sound District and how he survived; Shikamaru would never want to know.

"Do you know a guy name Rock Lee? Bushy eyebrows, loud voice, with a shiny bowl haircut?"

"Yes! He was a classmate of mine back in middle school."

"I showed him to his class an hour before you came. Crazy guy came an hour before school started to "prepare for new beginnings of his growing youth." How troublesome."

Tenten giggled at Shikamaru's quoting. Typical Rock Lee, though it was no surprise that he got a track scholarship. Back in the day, to escape bullies, Lee would use his powerful legs to outrun attackers for hours on end. He was definitely going to make the school proud with his everlasting running.

They finally approached her first class, she bid Shikamaru goodbye as she closed the door. Her eyes wandered the classroom as she picked an empty seat in the middle near the window. Tracing her fingers on the table, she stared out the clear window. It was nice not having to worry about the game of survival of the fittest. Tenten couldn't remember the last time she could really enjoy the morning sky without the sounds of screaming and gunshots. She wasn't going to let this chance for peace to go unused.

The bell rang. Everyone clamored to his or her seats.

She popped out of daydream-like state. Sitting up straight, she anticipated her first class on her very first day of school.

And the class waited.

And waited.

And waited.

Ten minutes had passed and the class seemed to grow restless. Then the sound of a sliding door caught the students' attention. In came a young tall handsome man with spiked gray hair and a book covering his face. The sighs and blushes of admiring females filled the room, as the man seemed to give a smile behind the book he was probably reading.

"Hello class, my name is Mr. Kakashi, I will be your History teacher for the year."

Kakashi? His name sounds so familiar… 

"I hear we have a scholarship student here. A very rare event indeed, I would like this person to stand up."

Tenten stood up in front of the class, rubbing the side of her skirt as the eyes of her classmates ogled at her.

"Tell me us your name."

"Tenten Tamura."

"Where are you from Miss Tamura?"

"T-the Sound District." Each time she had to say it, the more shame she felt.

"Thank you Miss Tamura, you may sit down."

Her face was covered in red. She could hear the whisperings and snickering among her classmates.

"There are people in history who were born lucky and there are those who fought their way to become legends. What makes Miss Tamura different from the rest of you is that she fought for her life to be here."

"What do you mean by that Mr. Kakashi!" yelled a bright blue eyed boy.

"What that means is that Miss Tamura will be more likely to fight for her accomplishments like she fought her way out of the Sound District. Therefore, she will most likely be working harder than the rest of you."

"That's not fair to say! We all spent so much time just studying for these exams," retorted a short pink haired girl.

"You studied, but what else have you done? Miss…"

"Haruno, Sakura Haruno, and what does that mean?"

"What I mean by that is, what else got you in this school? I'm sure most, if not all your parents donated a lot of money to get recognition from the voting staff."

The class went quiet, stunned by their new teacher's words.

"History takes notice of people of all varieties, but the most admired of them all are the underdogs. I noticed most of you giggling at the mention of Miss Tamura's previous location, but don't be surprised if this young lady becomes the talk of the school."

Hatake Kakashi closed his eyes. _I wouldn't expect less from a student of Maito Guy._

She didn't know if she liked the attention she was getting. It was already nearing the end of the day and it seemed that she was already well known throughout the school. Maybe it was her hair that made everything too distinct. Not like it mattered, Tenten headed to her last class.

Yuhi Kurenai, Gym 

Dressed in a pair of gray shorts and a white shirt, she head towards large gymnasium where a group of girls were seated together. Taking a spot on the ground, Tenten saw a familiar face approaching her.

"Hey, I'm Sakura Haruno from your History class."

"Yeah, I recognized you. I'm Tenten Tamura."

The pink haired girl smiled. "Yeah, Mr. Kakashi made that pretty clear."

A small uncomfortable silence caused both girls to shift.

"I wanted to apologize for what I said in class today, I didn't mean that to be rude or anything. It's just that I thought Mr. Kakashi was demeaning us you know?"

Tenten nodded at her classmate. She knew what it was like for people to undermine her efforts.

"He is right though, you must have tried really hard to attempt a scholarship from this school."

"It's a long story…"

"Certainly one that deserves to be applauded Miss Tamura."

Sakura and Tenten's heads spun up to a beautiful red-eyed woman.

"I'm your gym teacher, Coach Kurenai…"

She gave a gentle smile towards the bun haired girl.

"… and the coach of our school's female basketball team."

Her brown eyes peered at her coach curiously. She knew why Coach Kurenai took special interest in her. There was no doubt in Tenten's mind that she was going to do everything to impress her coach.

"Now girls, I want you all to give me six laps around the gym, starting now."

Tenten was hit with a sense of de ja vu, the old memories of her mentor forcing laps out of her and Rock Lee except her mentor enjoyed giving them 60 instead of the measly six she was just handed out. Immediately, Tenten started running.

Yuhi Kurenai stood there watching the bun haired girl lead the pack. She wondered if Tsunade was right about this girl. If Tenten Tamura could live up to what the principal said, then the school had their star basketball player.

"Miss Tamura, please come over here."

The girl stopped mid lap as she headed towards the direction of her teacher.

"I want to test you."

Tenten felt a brush of air in the form of a basketball hit her hands.

"One on one with me, shoot 3 baskets past me."

She readied herself as Coach Kurenai's assistant, a white-eyed girl, gave the signal to start. It was Tenten's ball, with a taller Kurenai guarding her. Without batting an eye, she shot the ball from the three-point line to make her first basket.

Tenten: 1 Kurenai: 0

Kurenai dribbled the ball towards Tenten. She took a stop as she raised the ball high up with her back towards her opponent as she tried to make a step shot from the free throw line. It was as if it was a dream, all of a sudden she saw a third hand reach up and block her shot. Tenten nabbed the ball as she crouched down low, using her speed to quickly run behind Kurenai to take a clean shot from the centerline.

Tenten: 2 Kurenai: 0

She clearly underestimated the girl. Who knew that she could jump so high? Tsunade definitely didn't exaggerate Tenten's skill. The brown-eyed girl was clearly in her zone, focusing on nothing but her opponent through the cheers of her classmates.

_She concentrates on her game like a pro._

Once again it was Kurenai's ball, her back once again faced toward the bun haired girl, ball in her hands. The burly haired coach made the attempt to twist her way out of Tenten's defense. Kurenai found the girl's efforts to be quite hard to break; no doubt she was a talented balanced player. There was really no need for this to go on.

"That's enough now Tenten," she said with hard breathing.

The bun haired girl slowly nodded in reply, only to find out in shock that her classmates were watching with their mouths agape. When did everyone start watching them? Tenten must have really zoned out.

_She's truly what Tsunade said she would be. _Kurenai stood there bemused by Tenten's shifting head. There was no doubt about it, this girl who came out of nowhere had more love for the game than anyone she had seen in years. Who could blame her though, Kurenai could only imagine the hell Tenten endured during her life in the Sound District. With a girl like her, eating, drinking, living basketball, it was probably her comfort zone away from her horrible life.

Sakura stood in awe of the taller girl. To outdo a Kyuubi Private School teacher was no ordinary feat. Replaying the words spoken to her earlier.

_Don't be surprised if this young lady becomes the talk of the school._

Author's Note: Yeah I don't own Naruto once again. Also Tsunade's and Tenten's last names were chosen through their Japanese voice actresses. Read and Review! You guys know how much I love hearing from you guys.


	2. Chapter 2

Buttoning up her shirt, she gazed at herself in front of the mirror. It had been a week since the first day of school, the one versus one with Coach Kurenai. Already in that time, Tenten's popularity catapulted her into the center of admiration and jealousy.

_So much for blending in…_

She entered her kitchen, grabbing a piece of bread from the breadbox. There was no jam or butter to put on for flavoring. It was like this everyday, alone in a battered kitchen eating a measly breakfast. This was better than what she could ask for though; at least there was peace.

Tenten locked her apartment door as she scaled down the stairs. Her worn out sneakers pattered on the steps. It was early morning, the sun rising with cold breeze blowing her bangs out of her face. The walk to school was going to take awhile; her apartment was literally a one-hour walk away. It wasn't so bad though, the rising sun provided a breathtaking red light that shimmered everything it touched.

_How lovely._

Lovely indeed it was. As Tenten turned the corner, she was greeted with a bright white light causing her to stumble back. Rubbing her eyes as tiny specs of pastel colors danced in front of her, she came face to face with a large boy around her age side by side with a blonde girl who seemed awfully familiar.

"Tenten Tamura! Ino Yamanaka of the Kyuubi Private Monthly, with a week into school, how does it feel to be the most talked about person?"

_Ino Yamanaka? Isn't that Sakura's enemy or something?…_ Still dazed over the flash, Tenten shook her head straight and returned the question with an arched brow.

_I have to score this exclusive or else someone else will!_

The headstrong blonde pushed her recorder in front of Tenten. Sure she normally wrote about the latest fashion trends but this was something she couldn't ignore. The girl she was looking at was the newest craze. Scores of girls were donning buns on their hair, while the ones with shorter hair sported sprouts of pigtails. There was no way that fashionista Ino Yamanaka would let this scoop get away from her.

_Or so she thought._

Tenten stared at her, dumbfounded as the blonde girl's blue eyes sparkled in excitement. How was she supposed to feel about being the most talked about item? Hell if she knew.

"Um, I'm sorry but I don't really want to be interviewed."

"Wh-what! Don't you want to give your fans a little bit of who you are? I-I mean you're THE most popular girl in school right now," retorted a shocked Ino.

_I don't want to stick out anymore than I have now._

"I'm sorry, but I just can't." Tenten walked past an upset journalist and her tubby photographer.

Once she was out of sight, Ino couldn't help but feel hot air. How dare that girl not appreciate the popularity she has? Did that idiot know how many other girls in the school would die to have their names mentioned in her articles? This wasn't any other Kyuubi Private reporter. This was Ino Yamanaka, queen of the entertainment pages!

_What's in and what's out, that's what it's all about._

Tenten was happy that the crazy girl didn't make any attempt at following her. Unbeknownst to her, another familiar person was following her footstep, observing her.

_What's so special about her? So what if she's able to beat Kurenai at basketball, I could beat her too!_

Truth was, he lost 20 times before Yuhi got irritated and kicked him out of the gym.

_Stupid Kakashi and everyone else in school praising her. She's not THAT great_.

Lost in his thoughts, Naruto Uzumaki didn't pay attention to the large pebble waiting to trip him.

Tenten heard a large crash accompanied with a low groan. She turned around to see her History class classmate rubbing his scratched face.

_Why is it that I keep on running into all the blondes today?_

He stood up, letting his mouth pout in annoyance, his blue eyes shut with a fox-like stare.

"I challenge you, right now, to a one versus one game of basketball!"

"But we aren't even close to a court, and school's still a 45 minute walk away."

"I don't care! I'll prove you're not that special!"

What was this guy's problem? Tenten remembered Naruto from the first day of class. She had heard the guy was a bit of an attention seeker, but never did she expect it to the extent of literally following her from her apartment. Ino, she could mildly understand, after all, she was a reporter. Naruto?…

"Who cares about being special? Why are you even following me around like this anyways?"

His eyes opened with his bright blues staring back at her. She didn't care? Naruto knew he had a bit of a one-track mind, but maybe he went too far this time around. Boy did he need some explaining to do.

"They say you're as good as Sasuke," Naruto confessed.

"Uh, who?" asked Tenten.

"You don't know who Sasuke is? That's a first; every girl in the school wants Sasuke. He's an idiot who everyone thinks is the best b-ball player as well as one of the smartest students or something," replied Naruto with a hint of dejection.

"Come to think of it, I think Sakura mentioned him once…"

"He's my biggest rival and my best friend," exclaimed Naruto. Suddenly his body shifted sheepishly, almost like he had forgotten something. "Not like he'd admit it or anything."

_What a weird guy… _Tenten really wondered if the boy in front of her had all his marbles in the jar.

"Uh..I have a question. Why are you here? Near my neighborhood?"

Naruto glanced back at her with fox eyes. "It was to challenge you of course, to a game! Eh..I didn't think things through though…no court in sight…"

The girl sighed as she walked started to walk on ahead. What an odd morning, getting pounced at by her two crazy blonde schoolmates. Through all of those distractions, she knew she wasn't going to get to class on time. Her first tardy in the first week of school, the joy coursing through her veins as her mood became darker.

_What's the point in being popular if you can't get out of detention?_

Her feet ached. She wished she could buy a new pair of shoes but her job didn't pay very much and the money she saved up went to paying for food and school supplies. It sounded pathetic; the whole reason why she managed to get into school was because of her skills as a basketball player.

_How am I even going to play with my shoes torn up?_

Tenten stopped at a bench near the corner of the street. She knew she was running late but her throbbing feet told her she needed the rest. The sun still glowered red as she starred ahead breathing in the cold air. She loved the crisp feeling of a peaceful early morning. Time, if only it could last a bit longer. At the corner of her eye, dark tinted windows caught her attention. A sleek white European style car slowly drove in front of her. A faint buzz sounded as the back window rolled down.

"W-would y-ou like a ride to sch-ool?" asked a timid voice.

She recognized the pale-eyed girl as Coach Kurenai's assistant, Hinata Hyuuga. Though the girl had a unique look, her shy nature and short stature made her invisible to anyone around her. Though, if reminded, her classmates would always refer to her as "that one weird girl." Hinata sat with a hunch as she glanced sideways at Tenten, unable to make full eye contact. The bun haired girl gave a nod as the door opened. Entering the plush blue interior, Tenten watched Hinata.

"Why did you come all this way to pick me up?" It wasn't wrong to inquire this; after all there were already two weird incidents.

"Mmm-iss Kurenai was w-or-ried ab-out you. She kn-nows you live fa-ar away," her stutter became worse as she started to cough harshly. Tenten watched in surprise as the girl started to buckle down, breathing like her life depended on it, her pale hands searching for her bag nearby. From the pockets revealed a small inhaler, putting it to her lips, her body calmed down.

_Poor girl…_

Tenten put herself next to Hinata, holding her body to make sure she was steady. The frail girl sat back as she tried staring out of the dark tinted windows trying to find something to say.

"It's really been one hell of a morning. Had that crazy Ino girl chase me around for an interview and that Naruto guy wanted to challenge me to an early duel…"

Had Hinata turned to face Tenten, she would have seen a bright red flush on the blue haired girl's pale skin.

"…seriously though Hinata, even if Coach Kurenai asked you to, I think it's really nice of you to think about me. Thanks…"

A shy but proud smile formed on the small girl's face, something that Hinata didn't feel too often. Maybe it was her own awkwardness that made the words so strong for her, but all in all, a little bit of appreciation went a long way with her.

_M-maybe I should.._

The sounds of students talking rose higher as the car parked to the side. Tenten quickly jumped out as she turned around to make sure Hinata was stable. Both girls walked up to the front of the school, eyes of assorted emotions stared. The white-eyed girl drew a breath.

"W-would you like to do something after school?" Her voice quickened.

It was worth a shot, even if she put her own feelings on the line. Maybe, just maybe, someone would make the effort to know who she really was. Not as the weird girl, or the girl who always has asthma attacks, or that oversensitive girl who hides behind Coach Kurenai.

I am Hinata Hyuuga.

At the same time, the bun haired girl felt the same way about herself.

I am Tenten Tamura.

"Sure," Tenten said with a bright smile. "Let's meet up after basketball practice."

**Author's Note**: I wanted to do two perspectives that people had on Tenten. The first was the superficial (Ino) the second being jealousy (Naruto). (Ino being a reporter was due to the idea that reporters try to get into people's heads) Both of them only know her for one thing: basketball. However, Hinata's character is a parallel to Tenten's. Both of them wish people can know them for who they are, not what their exterior is. It's that desire that they both have that makes the start of their friendship. Hopefully people liked this, next chapter! Off to the Hyuuga's we go! Hi hoe hi hoe! Read and review!


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